Tooth-brush.



G. B. W. MILLER.

TOOTH BRUSH. APPLIGATION'FILED SEPT. 21, 1909. RENEWED MAY 11, 1912.

1 ,054,0 1 7 Patented Feb. 25, 1913.

GIFS'IAIE E. W. MILLER, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

TOOTH-BRUSH.

spccification of Letters Patent.

Patented-Feb. 25,1913.

Application filed September 21,1909, Serial No. 518,882. renewed May 11,1912. serial "no. ea'ejsoi.

. To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, 'GUs'rAr E. W. Mn.- LER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Worcester, in the .eounty of Worcester and State of'Massachusetts, "have invented a new and useful Tooth-Brushyof which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a, tooth-brush.

The princi a1 objects thereof are to pro vide a simp e, inexpensive, com act, and sanitary construction whereby e brush can be packed away in a small space in such a way that it can be carried in the pocket, hand-bag, or the like and will be kept clean and wholesome without any danger of taking "up dust or'dirt, or'of wetting the .pocket or otherreceptacle in which it is placed; to provide a construction in which the casing itself can .be used as the -handle and detachably secured to the brush in either of two different positions whereby the handle can be applied tothe brush so as to suit the convenience of the user; to provide means whereby the brush will be securely held by the handle and whereby when the brush is placed within the handle or casing it will be firmly held in position with its bristles out of contact with the walls of the casing so that the bristles will not serve as a support for the brush.

Further objects and advantages of the invention .will appear hereinafter.

Reference is to be had'to the-accompany further assists in holding the parts. The other part 21 of the casing constitutes pracing drawings, in which igure 1 is a side elevation of a referred embodiment of the invention showing the brush ready for use; Fig. 2 is a plan there- .of; Fig. 3 isa view similar to Fig. 1 showing the brush reversed and also showing the parts of the handle separated; Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view thereof; Fig. 5 is a side view showin the brush held in one part of the casing; i 6 is an end view of the easing;.and Fig. is an end view of the socket of the casing.

It has been proposed heretofore to use the handle of a tooth brush as a casing'for receiving the brush itself, but so faras I am aware these constructions have been made in such a way that it was necessary to have the lower edge of the handle always projecting down below the points of the bristles of the tooth brush where it was more or less in theway. Furthermore, they had joints in some instances that were diificult to keep clean, and in others there wasabsolutelyho way to cleanfthe inside of the casing. In-erder' to-avoid these d'ifliculties and to carry out the above -mentioned obbrush is provided with bristles 10 a back 11' of any desired characterrand with ashoit shank 12. Thisshan'k is shownflas provided with a non-corrosive sheet metal tip 13.

This is reduced slightly at the'end,.'and is provided with a top and bottom longitudinal groove 14 extendin inwardly a certain distance from the) en' Beyond each of these slots is a "depression 15, the {purpose of which will appear hereinafter. I

The handle or casing comprises two members 20 and 21. The m'ember20 is provided with 'a socket 22 having'top and mw'ardl extending projections 23 near the outer end and. similar projections ,24 'near the inner end. Asthe casing preferably is made of sheetmetal, these projections are resiliently supported. Thesocket 22 exactly fits the shank 12, -andfwhenposit-ion as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and)? the outside surfaces of the sockets are flushwith the-"larger partof the tip 13. In this position the .pro ections 23 aregguided into'fthe groove Man than over.

the bridge, of "metal at itse'nd and down into the depression 15 which securely holdstheparts in position. At this time the projection- 24 extends intmthe-g'roove- 14, and

tically a cover, and it is telescopically connected with the part 20 and preferablyfits inside it. It is shown as having a socket 25 for receiving an inwardly extending projection 26 onthe main 'part of the casing to hold the parts firmly in position, As has been stated the handle or casing preferably is made of anon-corrosive sheet metal, such as aluminum or an alloy thereof for example. It is also preferably provided with rows of perforations 27 at the sides'and bottom, two of these perforations also being 7 shown in the end of the cover.

When it is}. desired to ack the tooth brush away it is simply rawn from the socket as indicated in- Fig. 4 and is then reversed and placed in the casing in the manner indicated in Fig. 5. In this instance the projection 24 slides into. the groove 14 then over the pro'ection and'into the .de ression 15 so as to old the brush firmly 1n position within the casing. This latter function is assisted by the projection 23 which remains in the groove 14. As the shank 12 fits within the socket and is held by the projections it will be seen that the tooth brush itself is firmly held in position within the casing by the socket so that it does not come in contact with the wallsof the casing. Moreover as itkeeps the" ends of the bristles away from the walls there is better chance for the air to circulate through the ends which are the parts which most need the air, and consequently the brush is kept clean and wholesome at all times.

The same principles can be applied to other kinds of brushes according to this invention.

While I have illustrated and described a preferredembodiment of the invention, I am aware that many modifications can be made therein by any person skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention as expressed in the claims. Therefore I do not wish to be limited to all the details of'construction shown and described, but

What I do claim is 1. Thecombination with a brush having a shank provided with a depression near the end thereof, of a casing adapted to receivethe back and shank and having an open-ended socket provided with an inwardly extending resilient projection adapted to engage in the depression of the shank when the shank is placed in said socket with the brush projecting outwardly therefrom, and having a second resilient projection adapted to engage in said depression when the back is placed within the casing with its shank projecting into the socket.

roaaor? 2. The combination with a brush back having a shank provided with a longitudinal groove near the end thereof, of a casing adapted to receive the back and shank and having a socket provided with an inwardly extending resilient projection adapted to.

first named part and having a socket pro-,-

vided with an inwardly extending resilient projection adapted to engage in the depression in the first named part.

4. The combination with a brush back having a shankprovided with alongitudinal groove extending inwardly from the end thereof and with a depression be 0nd the end of said groove, of a casing a apted to receive the back and shank and having an open-ended socket provided with an inwardly extending resilient projection adapted to engage in the depression in the shank when the shank is placed in said socket with the back projecting outwardly therefrom, and having a second resilient extending projection adapted to engage in said depression when the back is placed within the casing with its shank projecting into the socket.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GUSTAF E. w. MILLER.

Witnesses:

A. E. FAY, I C. Fonnns'r Wesson. 

